Method and arrangement for sewing ready-made apparel



April 25, 1967 v. LEBOVIC ETAL 4.

METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR SEWING READY-MADE APPAREL Filed June 30, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 25, 1967 v LEBOVIC L 3,315,624

METHOD AND' ARRANGEMENT FOR SEWING READY-MADE APPAREL Filed June 30, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 50, 1964 April 25, 1967 v owc ETAL 3,315,624

METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR SEWING READY-MADE APPAREL 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 April 25, 1967 v. LEBOVIC ETAL 3,315,624

METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR SEWING READY-MADE AP Filed June 30, 1964 PAREL 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 April 25, 967 v. LEBOVIC ETAL 3,315,624

METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR SEWING READY-MADE APPAI KEL Filed June 30, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 5- ill April 1967 v. LEBOVIC ETAL 3,315,624

METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR SEWING READY-MADE APPAREL Filed June 30, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 a b Q United States Patent 013 3,315,624 Patented Apr. 25, 1967' ice This invention relates to a method and to an arrangement for sewing ready-made wearing apparel along a closed track, enabling thus an eificient application of the sewing machine, an improvement of the quality of the sewing and a reduction of the operating time.

According to methods applied at present, the parts of.

wearing apparel are connected by manually guiding the sewn material under the needle head of the sewing machine. The performance of the machine and the quality ing of the work depend upon the skill and qualification of the operator and upon different time losses in connection with the stoppage and starting of the sewing machine and with the preparation of the material to be sewn. All these circumstances substantially reduce the possibility of full exploitation of the sewing machine. The productivity of work is with this relatively simple operation low as the individual partial operations are performed subsequently and call for considerable manipulating time.

. Thesewing methods and sewing means known at present suppose a stable sewing machine, where parts of the ready-made wearing apparel are supplied either directly by the attendant or by means of some supply means. This method does not allow a more intensive mechanization of the sewing process and a reduction of the time losses, as it does not enable a suitable supply of the par-ts to the place where they are sewn.

It is an object of this invention to eliminate to a considerable extent these drawbacks by bringing to the place where the sewing is performed both the textile parts and the sewing implement within controlled time intervals. The parts of the ready-made wearing apparel are fixed on a suitable supporting rack beyond the space where the proper sewing takes place, whereafter they are brought along a track of straight, oval or other suitable form to the'place where the sewing is performed, while the sewing implement is approached along another track crossing the previously mentioned track at the proper place. Thus any manual feeding of parts to be sewn to the sewing machine is eliminated and the application of means for mechanization and for the supply of parts to be sewn enabled even for sewing along a closed track where the sewing device has to be brought inside a closed circuit. It proved to be advantageous to supply first the parts to be sewn and bring them within the track of the sewing device, which is subsequently brought to this place.

Another advantage of this method and arrangement is that the parts of ready-made wearing apparel are mechanically uniformly stretched along their whole circumference, so as to substantially improve the quality of connection of these parts. The efiiciency and lack of defective products of the arrangement are further improved by the circumstance, that the supply and guiding of the parts of. ready-made Wearing apparel and the approach and speed of the sewing elements are mutually depending and derived from a single driving source. This method allows a full mechanization of the operation and restricts the task of the attendant to the removal of the products, to the adjustment of new parts to be sewn and to the 'sociated therewith, FIG. 5a is more the pulley"33 of the sewing device 4.

threading in of the sewing threads. Thus the claims upon qualified attendance are reduced and so is the time required for a new attendant to become acquainted with the work.

In order to reduce the method according to this invention to practice, a device has been designed which is equally object of this invention and is in more detail described on hand of one possible embodiment.

The essential feature of the arrangement according to this invention is that it comprises a sewing device which can be removed from its operating position after the sewprocess is finished and by clamping or stretching means for parts of the ready-made wearing apparel, which bring these parts at predetermined time intervals within the track of the sewing device while this sewing device itself is beyond the track of said clamping means. The clamping or stretching means is provided with a number of clamping devices. Preferably the clamping means consists of at least three clamping devices which are alike and arranged on a' clamping support which always after finished sewing and after removal of the sewing device beyond the track of the clamping means is turned for a part of its circumference determined by the distance of the radial axis of adjacent clamping devices. The sewing device is arranged on slides supported in sliding fashion upon the frame of the machine and is provided with means which removes it after finisher sewing and returns it again into its operating position.

An example of an embodiment of the object of this invention is shown schematically in the accompanying drawings where FIG. 1 is a chine, FIG. 2 a top view, FIG. 3 a side view of the needle head, the lifting lever and the thread cutter, FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along lines IV-IV of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a front view of the needle head and parts asa partial sectional view of FIG. 5, the section being taken along line 5a5a of FIG. 5, and FIGS. 6a and 6b are wiring diagrams illustrating the driving and control circuits of the arrangement.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, two guiding bars 2 are fixed on the machine fame 1 with the sewing device 4 resting on slides 3 supported in sliding fashion upon said bars 2. The sewing device shown on the drawing is a whip-stitch sewing machinefixed on a desk 5. The guiding slides 3 are interconnected by three cross bars 6. A bolt 7 is fixed on the central cross-bar 6, said bolt 7 engaging into a guiding groove 8 on a cam shift the sewing device 4 into the operating and ready position and to the turning point. The cam plate 9 is supported by a vertical shaft 10, on the other end of which a control disk 11 is fixed, provided with an indentment, into which a dog 12 engages (see FIG. 4), said dog 12 fixed on a pull bar 13 linked with one arm of'a lever 14, the second arm of which provided with a push bar 15 supporting a catch 16 engaging into an indented plate or ratchet 17 arranged on the clamping shaft 18 of the clamping support 19. The number of teeth on plate 17 and their situation is determined by the required rotating movement of the clamping support 19. The vertical shaft 10 passes through a reduction gear case 20 comprising a reduction worm gear, driven by pulleys 21 and 22 by way of a belt 24 from the electric motor 23 provided with a clutch 25. The electric motor 24 is connected by way of a friction clutch 26 provided with a pulley 27 and a V-belt 28 with a pulley 29 fixed on the gear shaft 30 rotatably supported by the bearings 31 and 32. A longitudinal groove and a key provided on said shaft 30 allows the shifting of a pulley 33 linked by the driving belt 34- fixed on the shaft 36, which shaft with the pulley 35, passes through the gear case 37 and terminates in a cone shaped carrier 38. The driving belt 34 engages further- Thus the drivside view of the whole ma-' plate 9 adapted to.

" sewing device.

ing of the sewing means and of the cone shaped carrier 38 is taken care of in the course of their shifting. The

" spring loaded cone shaped carrier 38 engages in the cavity of a guiding cylinder or roller 39, while the sewing device is in its operating position, said guiding cylinder 39 is provided with a rough surface and rotatably supported on a bracket 40 which simultaneously supports a second smooth guiding cylinder 41, the position of which is adjustable. 'The plane of rotation of both of these guiding cylinders which is an external plane with respect to the whole clamping device, is coincident with the needle plate of the ing arms 42 and 43, the other ends of which arms are fixed in a four-arm clamping support 19. A vertical bar 44 is fixed onthe bracket 40, which bar 44 supports in sliding fashion a sleeve 45 which carries a rotary tensioning cylinder 46 fixed on a bell crank lever 47. The guiding cylinders 39, 41 and the tensioning cylinder 46 are on their free extremities providing with an overtopping flange 48. Avertically arranged screwbolt 52 supporting a nut 53 provided with a flat extension 54 engaging at the bottom of the sleeve 45 is driven by a vertically arranged electric motor 49 by way of a pulley 50 and a V-belt 51. This arrangement takes care of the raising of the tensioning cylinder 46 in the course of the sewing operation after 'turning the clamping support 19 for further ninety degrees. The tensioning cylinder 46 is maintained in its upper extreme position by a hook shaped catch 102 which is released by a button shaped dog 103 on the surface of the four arm clamping support 19. Three additional clamping devices of the same kind are arranged along the The bracket 40 is fixed on two 'supportcircuit controls the movement of the sewing device 4 into the operating and ready position and to the turning point. This circuit contains a mercury relay 67, arranged on the indented segment 66 and bringing about the movement of a the sewing device, furthermore a two-way limit switch 75, stopping'the movement of the sewing device '4 after reaching the operating position, a limit switch 76 energizing the time relay 77 which extends the time to the required time. interval, within which the sewing device isfl beyondthe operating position, a contactor 78 energizing. the electromagnet 79 which actuates in the clutch 25. The

whole circuit is closed by the switch 80 for automatic operation and by the push button 81 enablingmanual'concircumference of the clamping support19. The clamping support 19 is fixed on the clamping shaft 18.

The sewing device 4 (FIG. 3 is provided with a presser foot55 which extends laterally into an upwardly bent portion 56. The lifting lever 57 (FIG. 5) of the' presser foot 55 is provided on its extremity with a bevelled extension 58 which can be deviated and which is in the course of the movement of the sewing device 4 into its operating position pressed down by the guiding track 59 (FIG. 5a)

' vice 4 i providedvw'th a support 61see FIG. 3supporting a two arm lever 62 biased by a spiral spring 63 arranged so'that one of the ends of the spring engages into an opening of the adjusting ring 104, the second end; 7 which is bent, is' hooked upon a bolt 105 of the second ring. This spiral spring cares for the forceddeviation of the two arm lever 62, one arm of which is bent so as to form a contact surface 64 which rests upon the supplied j part to be sewn, the second arm is terminated by a catch .65adapted to beturned and engaging into an indented segment 66, fixed 011a plate bearing a mercury relay 67. A further safety catch 69 supported rotatably on a support 107 and equally extended into an'adjusting arm 70 engages into said indented segment 66. The catch 65 turns together with the segment 66 in case the two arm lever 62 is deviated, which takes place when a seam of the'textile part strikes the contact surface 64. In the course of a subsequent movement of the textile part and when the second seam comes along, the catch 65 causes a further turning of the segment 66 and thereby a deviation of the mercury relay, which brings about the shifting a of the sewing device 4. The adjusting bar 68 and the adjusting arm 70 are'returned into their-original position by the adjusting segment 71 fixed on the frame 1.

The operations of the whole device'are controlled by 'six control circuits.

The first circuit (FIG. 6a) is the circuit of the driving electric motor 24 controlled by'the contactor 72, the push button 73 and the cut-out push button 74. The second time intervals.

The time relay '77 connects after lapse of the pre- V determined-time interval theicircuit for the movement of T the sewing device 42nd the sewing device 4 movesdue' 1 to the turning of the 'cam plate 9 to the turning point:

' and from there back to the' operating position. In the course of this movement the indented segment 66 with; the mercury relay 67 return into their initial position due' I to the action' of the adjusting segment 71 upon the...- adjusting arm 70. Simultaneously the beveled extension 1 58 of the lifting lever 57 of the presser foot 55 is pressed down by the guiding track 59 so-that the presserfoot 55- trol. The third control circuit is the circuit controlling the proper sewing operation and it contains a limit contactor 82 (FIG. 2) for automatically switching on and off the sewing device 4 in the course of its movement to and from the operating position. A ledge 83 arranged on; the guiding slides 3 engages this limit contactor 82; A contactor 84 for energizing an electromagnet 85, of the I friction clutch 26 is furthermore part of this circuit. This circuit is equally closed by the switch 86 for automatic operation and by the push button 87 for manual operation which is doubled by the push button 88. The

fourth circuit is the circuit controlling the raising of the I tensioning cylinder 46. This circuit is energized by way, of the two-way limit switch75, the reversing contactor the circuit of,the"catches,.-which cause the is'toppag'e' of the operation of the whole: machine in case of-rupture; ofthe sewing threads. This circuit is'equally supplied. i from the transformer via an auxiliary relay 98 which cares for the cuttingout of the contactor 72 in the driving circuit of the electric motorj24; The auxiliary relay 98 is controlled by thread catches 99. to 101.

. On a control board not shown on the drawing there p are the switches 80, 86, the push buttons 81,;87, the cut 1 7 '7 out push button 74 and the push button 73.. Doubling switches 88, limit switches 75, 76 andthe switch 97whieh-) are controlled by adjustable stops arranged'on the guiding slides 3.

The operation tron work in stages, which are is raised and enables to insert the parts to be sewn easily under the presser foot 55 of the sewing device 4. In the course of this movement the electric circuit for sewing is.

closed by the action of the ledge 83 upon the limit contactor 82. The spring loaded cone shaped carrier 38 i receives equally a turning movement.

The control disk 11 turns simultaneously with the cam plate 9 and the indented plate 17 turns due to the action of the dog 12, the pull bar 13, thelever 14 and the push proceeds and thedevices for its'execu repeated within periodic Thus the parts to be sewn' are adjusted in a so that the plane of these parts between the guiding cylinders 39, 41 is at the level of the needle plate and the cavity of the guiding cylinder 39 is opposite to the spring loaded cone shaped carrier 38.

The sewing device proceeds in its movement, the needle plate is shifted under the stretched parts to be sewn so that their edge engages first under the upwardly turned portion 56 of the presser foot 55 and subsequently under the whole presser foot 55 into theposition for sewing. The spring loaded cone shaped carrier 38 enters the cavity of the guiding cylinder 39 which starts to make a turning movement and transmits the movement to the stretched parts to be sewn. The sewing device 4 reaches its operating position, interrupts due to the action of the two way limit switch 75 the electric circuit for the movement of the sewing device 4 which comes to a stop. Simultaneously the beveled extension 58 of the lifting lever 57 of the presser foot 55 comes beyond engagement with the guiding track 59 and the presser foot comes toa rest upon the parts of ready-made clothes. The proper sewing operation can now proceed.

This new position of the indented segment 66 is secured by the safety catch 69. Due tothe action of the 813 1131 spring 63 the two arm lever 62 returns into its initial position and after the contact surface 64 strikes the following seam, the operation is repeated. Thus the mercury relay 67 reaches a position where the electnc circuit for shifting the sewing device 4 is closed and the sewing device 4 leaves the operating position. The clrcult of the cutting device 94 of the sewing threads is closed by the switch 97 and the threads are cut by its vibrating movement. In the course of the further movement of the sewing device 4, the limit contactor 82 is released from the action of the ledge 83 and the operation of the sewing device comes to a stop. In the course of the further movement beyond the operating position the sewing device 4 comes intoits ready position, the ad ustable stop interrupts the electric circuit for the movement by interrupting the two way limit switch 75 and starts by means of the limit switch 76 the action of the time relay 77. This operation is automatically repeated.

As soon as the square clamping support 19 turns through an angle of ninety degrees due to the action of reversing contactors 88, 90 blocked by limit switches 91, 92, the vertical screw bolt 52 starts to be turned, so that the nut 53 with the flat extension 54 engaged under the sleeve 45 of the bell crank lever 47 of the tensioning cylinder 46, starts to rise. Thus the tensioning cylinder 46 is shifted into its upper extreme position, where 1t is maintained by the hook shaped catch 102 on the clamping support 19 and the nut 53 with the fiat extension 54 returns into its initial position. The ready made product remains suspended upon the guiding cylinders 39, 41.

In case of a further turning of the clamping support 19 through an angle of ninety degrees the described clamping device comes Within reach of the attendant. The attendant removes the product and slips on the guiding cylinders 39, 41 new parts of ready made clothes so that the tensioning cylinder 46 is inside these parts. He subsequently releases the button shaped dog 103 arranged above the clamping holder 19 due to which the hook shaped catch 102 releases the tensioning cylinder 46 so that it drops due to gravity and stretches the prepared parts of ready made clothes. Thus a uniform and steady tensioning of the parts to be sewn in safeguarded Within the time of their clamping by the clamping device. The attendant adjusts the prepared parts to be sewn up to the flange 48 of all three cylinders, the guiding cylinders 39, 41 and the tensioning cylinder 46 and turns the parts to be sewn so that the seam is approximately at the cented between the guiding cylinders 39, 41.

The clamping holder 19 is subsequently turned for further ninety degrees so that the clamping device, the operation of which we have followed, completes the circuit of 360 degrees. The parts to be sewn are prepared for the'proper sewing operation. Thus the work of the attendant is with the arrangement according to this invention limited to the removal of sewn products from the clamping device and to the slipping of new parts to be sewn upon the empty clamping device.

The described method according to this invention and the arrangement for its execution can be used namely in plants producing knitted products and wearing apparel for different operations performed in a closed circuit upon parts of ready made products as bordering, trimming, connecting of several parts, application of rubber ribbons and similar.

We claim:

l. A method of sewing fabric parts comprising the steps of moving the parts to be sewn in a first direction from a loading station to an operating station; stretching the portions of said fabric parts to be sewn together at least while said fabric parts are at said operating station; moving a sewing device in a second-direction from a rest position to an operating position ready for sewing fabric parts located in said operating station; thereafter moving the fabric parts at said operating station in a third direction, with at least said portions to be sewn together maintained in stretched condition, past said sewing device while the latter is driven to perform the sewing operation; and moving after the sewing operation has been performed the sewing device back to its rest position and the fabric parts back to the loading station to be exchanged for new parts to be sewn.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the movements of the sewing device and the fabric parts are automatically controlled in timed sequence.

3.- A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the sewing device is moved from said rest to said operating position after the parts have been moved from said loading to said operating station. I

4. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein movement of the parts and of the sewing device as well as the drive of the latter are derived from a single drive means.

5. A method as set forth in claim 1, and including the step of stretching the fabric parts while the same are moved from said loading to said operating position.

6. A method as set forth in claim 5, and including the step of relieving the stretch of the fabric parts after they are returned to said loading station to facilitate exchange of the sewn parts for new parts to be sewn.

7. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the parts are moved along an are from said loading to said operating station and said sewing device is moved along a path extending radially with respect to said are.

8. An apparatus for sewing fabric parts together comprising, in combination, support means; a sewing device mounted on said support means movable between an operating position in which said sewing device is adapted to perform a sewing opeartion along a stitching path and a rest position laterally spaced from said stitching path; combined feeding and stretching means including a plurality of feeding and stretching members, at least one of which is movable between a stretching position and a stretch releasing position, and at least one of which is a drivable member adapted to be driven and thereby feed said fabric parts in stretched condition; mounting means mounting said combined feeding and stretching means on said support means movable between a loading station spaced from said stitching path and an opearting station in said stitching path; drive means operatively connected to said sewing device and to said combined feeding and stretching means for moving said sewing device and said combined feeding and stretching means between said positions thereof, said drive means also driving said sewing device in said operating position thereof; and coupling means driven by said drive means and engaging driveable member of said combined feeding and stretching means when said sewing device is in said operating position and said stretching means at said operating station, to drive said one driveable member about its axis so as to feed the fabric parts in'stretched condition past the sewing device. 9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein said mounting means of said'cornbinedfeeding and stretching means is mounted on 'said supporti means turnably about a vertical turning axis, and including guide means for guiding said sewing device during movement between said positions thereof along a rectilinear path an extension of which intersects said turning axis.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 9, said member of said combined feeding and stretching means include three rollers having substantially parallel'axes,-two of said rollers having fixed axes locatedin a plane substantially normal to said turning axis and the third roller being mounted on said support movable in a direction transverse to said plane between a stretching position downwardly displaced from said plane and a releasing position said stretching position.

11. An apparatus as set forth in claim 10, and including lifting means for automatically lifting said third roller 7 to said releasing position when said combined feeding and stretching means is moved to said loading station.

12. Anapparatus as set forth in claim 11, and including catch means for holding said third roller in said retransmission means including a first shaft substantially parallel to said turning axis of said combined feeding and stretching means and connected to the drive means to be rotated thereby about its axis, a cam fixedly carried by in which'said'third roller is closer to said plane than in mined angle when said first shaft makes a full revolution- 15. An apparatus as set forth in claim'8, and including a presser foot on' said sewing device, and means cooperating with said presser foot for raising and lowering the same during movement of said sewing device between said positions thereof.

16. An apparatus as set forth in claim 8, and including deflectable feeler means having one end adapted'to slide on the stretched fabric fed by said one roller past said sewing device,-said feeler means being movable between a rest position and a deflected'position and being jmoved to said deflected position when said one end strikes a finished seam, and including means actuated by said feeler means in said deflected position to. signal the finished sewing operation.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,575,887 3/ 1926 Zimmerman 112--2 1,723,781 8/1929 Hoggard 112-2 1,883,177 10/1932 Weis 1122 2,345,104 3/1944 Dittrich 112-2 2,702,014 2/ 1955 Brownstein I 1122 2,714,360 8/1955- Saxby 1122 2,722,903 11/1955 Larkin 112-2 JORDAN FRANKLIN,Primary Examiner. I. R. BOLER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A METHOD OF SEWING FABRIC PARTS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF MOVING THE PARTS TO BE SEWN IN A FIRST DIRECTION FROM A LOADING STATION TO AN OPERATING STATION; STRETCHING THE PORTIONS OF SAID FABRIC PARTS TO BE SEWN TOGETHER AT LEAST WHILE SAID FABRIC PARTS ARE AT SAID OPERATING STATION; MOVING A SEWING DEVICE IN A SECOND DIRECTION FROM A REST POSITION TO AN OPERATING POSITION READY FOR SEWING FABRIC PARTS LOCATED IN SAID OPERATING STATION; THEREAFTER MOVING THE FABRIC PARTS AT SAID OPERATING STATION IN A THIRD DIRECTION, WITH AT LEAST SAID PORTIONS TO BE SEWN TOGETHER MAINTAINED IN STRETCHED CONDITION, PAST SAID SEWING DEVICE WHILE THE LATTER IS DRIVEN TO PERFORM THE SEWING OPERATION; AND MOVING AFTER THE SEWING OPERATION HAS BEEN PERFORMED THE SEWING DEVICE BACK TO ITS REST POSITION AND THE FABRIC PARTS BACK TO THE LOADING STATION TO BE EXCHANGED FOR NEW PARTS TO BE SEWN. 